by C. A. Pack
Marbol repeatedly sucked air in and rapidly blew it out of his pursed lips, making them quiver.
Duddu place a hand on Marbol’s shoulder. “It’ll be okay. He’s Peer Meap’s friend. He’ll give it back to you.” But Marbol continued to clutch the sonic scrambler to his chest while breathing heavily.
ZF:§ I have an idea. Let’s take a trip.
“All of us?” someone asked.
ZF:§ No. Zenith Fullova put his hands on Marbol’s and Duddu’s shoulders. ZF:§ Just these two lads and I. In the blink of an eye, they disappeared.
Malcolm Trees, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, hid on the floor behind a stone bench at the far end of a Mysterian discussion circle. He and curator, Hue the Elder, hoped the bench would shield them from invading Terrorians. Mal’s biggest concern was his inability to commune with the overseers. He had left his robe and chaperon, a special hat designed by the overseers, at Hue the Elder’s home after lunch. Without the special properties built into the chaperon, he could not inform anyone of the attack.
“This is quite undignified,” Hue whispered, “and uncomfortable. But we must remain here until we can get away without being detected.”
Mal nodded but doubted the curator could see his sign of agreement. He wriggled his way to the edge of the bench to try to peek around it. He caught a glimpse of a Terrorian trooper walking out of the building with each of his tentacles wrapped around an immobilized Mysterian.
Jackson frantically searched the Library of Illumination circulation desk for Johanna’s diary. “She used to keep it in here. I’m sure of it.”
Emily, his prom date, wrapped her arms around her body. “I don’t want to stay here. This place gives me the creeps. Those ugly…beasts tried to kill me!”
“They’re called Terrorians. You’re okay now, which is more than I can say for Johanna.”
“Are you calling the cops?”
“No. I need to get in touch with the overseers.”
“If you’re not calling the cops, I’m not hanging around here for a repeat performance.” She turned to Cassie. “Do I look okay? Have I been slimed?”
“No,” Cassie answered. “You look beautiful.”
“Good. I want to go to the prom.”
“The prom?” Jackson couldn’t believe his ears. “I can’t go to the prom. I have to save Johanna.”
Logan shook his head. “Leave it to this place to turn prom night into a weirdo missing persons case.”
Cassie gripped Logan’s arm like she’d never let go. “What about that other guy?”
That got Emily’s attention. “The cute college guy?”
Jackson allowed himself to be distracted. “Who did she say he was?”
“The dean of English at Cranford University,” Logan answered.
“I’ve got to get them back.” Jackson continued his panic-stricken search.
Cassie tugged on Logan’s arm. “Do something.”
Logan kissed the side of her head before saying to Jackson, “Dude. How about I take the girls to the prom while you take care of business here? There’s not much reason for us to hang around. You know where to find us when you’re done.”
“Yeah. Sure. You go ahead,” Jackson said, without stopping his hunting expedition.
Logan placed his free hand on Emily’s back and led her and Cassie out the door.
“Wait,” Jackson called out. He grabbed the corsage he got for Emily and ran over to her. “This is for you.”
She took the corsage without looking at him. “Thanks.”
After Jackson went back inside, Emily focused all her attention on Logan. “What was that all about? What is this place?”
“It’s the Library of Illumination, and if you don’t want to be considered a nut job, don’t repeat anything that happened tonight to anyone. Jackson didn’t want us coming here to begin with, and now I can see why.”
Cassie pulled away from him. “Somebody needs to know about this place. It’s…unnatural.”
Logan helped the girls slide into the back of the limousine they’d hired to take them to their senior prom. “You’re right. But if you say something without any proof to back it up, no one is going to believe you. And they’ll start calling you a whack job. Just leave it to me. This gives me an opportunity to put my summer internship to good use.”
“Where are you interning?” Emily asked.
“Graydon Ransom University News Tonight. I’m going to be one of their new reporters. And, boy, do I have a story for them. This is my springboard to stardom.”
—Coming in 2018—
This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic, digital, or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, contact the publisher with “Attention: Permissions Coordinator” in the subject line.
ARTIQUA PRESS
www.artiquapress.com
[email protected]
Westbury, NY 11590
E-BOOK
February 7, 2017
THIRD CHRONICLES OF ILLUMINATION
Library of Illumination—Book Eight
Copyright © 2016 C. A. Pack
All rights reserved.
ISBN-13: 978-0-9979084-2-8
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016912408
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
C. A. Pack is the author of the YA supernatural series Library of Illumination/Chronicles of Illumination, as well as the historical fiction, Code Name: Evangeline, and the fantasy, Evangeline’s Ghost. She is an award-winning former journalist and television news anchor, working in the New York metropolitan area. The author is a member of International ThrillerWriters, and Sisters in Crime, and has formerly served as president of the Press Club of Long Island. She lives in Westbury, NY, with her husband, a picky parrot, and dozens of imaginary characters who constantly demand page space.
